Dell Computer has beaten its goal to become carbon neutral by achieving 100% neutrality ahead of schedule.  The Texas based computer manufacturer has now moved into its stated goal of becoming “the greenest technology company on the planet” through a variety of methods.  Strict company wide energy efficiency standards, purchases of green, renewable power from solar and wind power sources, limiting the company’s emissions and buying carbon credits pushed Dell to full carbon neutrality in less than one year’s time, making it an shining example to corporations the world over.

“We’re driving ‘green’ into every aspect of our global business.  This includes setting new standards for energy efficiency and green power, delivering environmental and cost savings for customers and aligning key growth priorities with our focus on preserving our shared Earth.” said Dell founder and CEO, Michael Dell

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It’s time to set the record straight: Properly Inflated Tires Save Gas. There’s been a large amount of petty political posturing over this embarrassingly simple fuel efficiency technique recently, with John McCain’s Presidential campaign attempting to mock Barack Obama for including it in his energy plan.

So now that we’ve heard the spin, what are the facts?  Properly inflated tires across this country when coupled with regular service and tune ups could save between 3% and 4% of all the gasoline consumed in the United States per year.  When compared to the recent Republican gimmick policy initiative demanding more drilling off of U.S. coastlines which will net, at most, 200,000 barrels of oil per day, which is at most 1% of US gasoline demand, five to ten years from now, it’s pretty clear which solution makes more sense.

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Super Green, if it’s the new bamboo lined [re]drive from SimpleTech by Fabrik. The external hard drive’s casing is manufactured from recyclable aluminum and bamboo. This not only adds a sleek, organic design to what would normally be an entirely artificial looking electronics device, it also increases the hard drive’s ability to disperse heat, making it all the more energy efficient. Speaking of energy efficiency the [re]drive qualifies for an Energy Star 4 rating, making it up to 30% more energy efficient than non-Energy Star drives.

The new [re}drive is available in models with up to 500 GB of storage space. It's both Mac and PC compatible. Plus as a bonus, unlike many green products on the market the mark up for being environmentally friendly isn't so steep with the [re]drive retailing at just $200. For years I’ve thought it was an excellent idea to break boring looking computer components out of their plastic shells to give them a warmer, more design friendly look. The [re}drive seems to do this well while providing environmental benefits of energy efficiency at the same time.

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New York City will spend $2.3 Billion over the next 30 years to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday. The spending will go toward reducing harmful emissions and reducing energy consumption in Municipal buildings and projects throughout the Big Apple. New York plans to cut 1.68 million metric tons per year from 2006 levels by 2017 using a myriad of methods and energy saving strategies. The goal is to cut 30 percent of emissions from the public sector, which uses 6.5 percent of the total energy consumption for the city and 10 percent of its peak electrical demand, within 30 years.

“The city is doing its part, I hope the private sector follows our example and finds conservation savings of their own.” Bloomberg said in a statement. The Mayor said that NYC should break even on its investments as early as the year 2013, with a huge portion of the savings coming on reduced energy bills. “By 2015, we project we will have saved more on our energy bills than we will have spent on all our planned investments to that point.”, Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler said.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Nicole Hughes:

Should Drive-Thrus Be Banned?

Eco-Moms Mad About “Greenwash” Barbie

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Andy Kondrat:

Home Depot Will Recycle Your CLF Bulbs for Free

Department of Energy Predicts 50% Energy Increase By 2030

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Jon Popham:

NYC Waterfalls Installation Starts This Week

Capt. John Smith Is Back…and Running for President

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Giulia Rozzi:

Yoga Across the Border

Emile Norman: By His Own Design

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Gina Telaroli:

Silverdocs 08: A Post-Fest Wrap-Up

Human Rights Watch 08: Letter to Anna

You know those CFL bulbs that are all the rage because they last something like eight million times as long as a regular light bulb, and conserve a whole ton of energy at the same time?  Well, it turns out you shouldn’t just toss them once they’re finally burned out, because they contain trace amounts of mercury, a heavy metal (not the Poison kind, the poison kind).  Up until now, recycling centers for CFLs have been scarce, but have included Ikea and True Value Hardware.

But now, good news comes our way as Home Depot, which is the nation’s second-largest retailer, is announcing today that it will take back CFLs in every one of its nearly 2,000 stores.  And it’s free!

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie Halper:

Brigitte Bardot Fine: Top 5 Bardotisms That Got Hot Sex Symbol In Hot Water

Obama Pound: In Historic Moment, White People Exposed To “Fist Bump” For First Time

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Nicole Hughes:

Get a Job: Top 10 Guides to Finding the Perfect Eco Career

Schwarzenegger Declares Drought in California

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Andy Kondrat:

Barcelona Fines Citizens for Using Drinking Water in Pools and Gardens

Coal Power Plants Waste Two-Thirds of Energy Input

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Jon Popham:

Megabus Expanding to the East Coast

Egyptian Blogger Freed from Prison

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Giulia Rozzi:

Diamonds In The Rough: A Ugandan Hip Hop Revolution

Cluster Bomb Ban

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Gina Telaroli:

Interview with Nina Davenport, Director of Operation Filmmaker

KidZui : Internet for Kids (and Those Young at Heart)

The laws of thermodynamics tell us that everything we do expends energy. Conversion efficiency, as it’s called, can never be 100 percent, which is why there’s no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. However, nowhere in those laws does it say that conversion efficiency must be as low as 36 percent. Which is the efficiency rate of power plants.

At present time, two-thirds of all energy that enters a power plant is lost before it creates the electricity we use.

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Tesla Motors is currently in production on the 2008 model of their instant classic, all electric, sports car, the Tesla Roadster. If you feel like saving the environment in an energy efficient car that’s also sexy as all get out, the Tesla Roadster is the car for you. Factor in the added bonus of never having to stand at a gas pump again and it’s clear why this new American auto company has sold out its production orders of the Roadster.

But how does it work? You simply plug the car into the wall, charge it up and you’re off and running. The Roadster goes from 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds off the line. It has a range of 220 miles per charge. The equivalent energy efficiency of the vehicle to a gas powered car is 135 miles per gallon and the cost of running the Roadster is less than 2 cents per mile.

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Will slow economic growth and a looming recession kill energy-saving and eco-friendly initiatives that many corporations have adopted in their efforts to jump on the green bandwagon? Some are wondering about the possibility of current sustainability trends being turned around should businesses start to feel the financial crunch. Kevin Klustner, CEO of Verdiem (a ‘green’ software company), says in a recent article published for GreenBiz.com that although a “stagnation” economy may tempt some companies to abandon their greening programs, doing so might actually worsen their financial losses in the long run.

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